Miege outlasts MHS kickers

No matter what the sport, McPherson High just can’t seem to solve the Miege puzzle as the defending Class 4-1A boys state soccer champions outlasted McPherson High 3-1 Friday in the semifinals.

The Bullpups were down 1-0 in the first half when Britton Haigh notched a goal to knot the score. Darrius Armstrong had the assist.

That turned out to be the only shot for the Bullpups as Miege controlled the action. MHS goalie Nathan Lloyd came up with 7 saves.

“Bishop Miege were all they were hyped up to be, but we went toe-to-toe with them for a large portion of the game,” said MHS coach Chris Adrian, whose team is now 14-6. “Unfortunately we made some silly mistakes and they capitalized like a good team is going to do.”

Miege took a 2-1 lead just before the half, then scored the insurance goal in the second half.

“I was pleased with the response of the boys every time we gave up a goal,” Adrian said. “Miege scored first and then we responded right away with a goal. We gave up a cheap transition goal with less than 30 seconds left in the half, which could have really deflated the boys, but they came out stronger in the second half. We began taking more risks trying to score the equalizing goal and Miege once again got us on a transition goal. I was really proud of the way the boys finished the game. They gave everything they could on the field until the final whistle.”

The Bullpups will play Spring Hill at noon on Saturday for third place, while Miege will attempt to defend its title against Andover Central at 2 p.m. The Jaguars were a 1-0 winner in the other semifinal game.